Iron Sharpens Iron: ISI Mailbox

Saturday, August 2, 2008

ISI Mailbox

Here are highlights from a letter written to Chris Arnzen, host of Iron Sharpens Iron, and his response:

I've seen your name on various websites and the reason I am writing is that I read an answer you gave on "Iron Sharpens Iron." The question related to high profile Protestants that have gone "home to Rome" on the EWTN program "coming home" (I've watched it a few times....). In short, your answer stated that the few high profile, highly educated Protestants going "home to Rome" does not compare to the many who are leaving Rome for Christ. My question (I have not been able to find the answer to this one): Just how many people are leaving the RCC as compared to those leaving Biblical Christianity (or the Protestant Church in general) for Rome? I briefly attended RCIA and they made it seem like there is a tidal wave of Christians going "home to Rome."

Chris Responds:

I don't have any cold, hard statistics about the percentages of Roman Catholics converting to Evangelical Christianity vs. Evangelicals converting to Roman Catholicism, but perhaps one of my apologist friends may know the data.

I can say, however, that here in a largely Roman Catholic area like New York, it is not uncommon to visit Evangelical congregations that are made up entirely (or nearly entirely) of former Roman Catholics, which often includes the pastoral staff itself. The vast majority of Evangelicals I have personally met from America's Northeast are former Roman Catholics. I seriously doubt the reverse is true in the Bible Belt (I'm quite certain we all would have heard by now if there were Roman Catholic congregations springing up in areas heavily populated by Evangelicals where the priests and parishioners were predominantly former Evangelicals).

Having said that, if conversions from Evangelical Christianity to Rome ever do dwarf conversions from Rome to Evangelicalism in their numbers, it proves nothing. Mass appeal for any religion, group or thing doe not signify its true worth. "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it" (Matthew 17:13).

In addition to Richard Bennett's and Joe Mizzi's wonderful ministries, I highly recommend the ministry of Dr. James R. White, which is "Alpha & Omega Ministries," the ministry of William Webster, which is "Christian Resources," the ministry of Eric Svendsen, which is "New Testament Research Ministries," the ministry of Rob Zins, which "A Christian Witness to Roman Catholics," the ministry of Mike Gendron, which is "Proclaiming the Gospel Ministries," the ministry of Ken Silva, which is "Apprising Ministries," and the blog of James Swan . I pray their invaluable resources are a blessing to you during your current trial.I hope to hear you call in sometime soon during a live broadcast of "Iron Sharpens Iron"!

Grace & peace, my brother!

In His grip,

Chris Arnzen

No comments:

Post a Comment

HOW TO LISTEN TO "IRON SHARPENS IRON" To listen to any "Iron Sharpens Iron" broadcast, simply select the show you're interested in by clicking on "MP3 Available Here." This should launch your media player. If you'd rather save the broadcast as a file on your computer, right click on "MP3 Available Here," then left click on "save target as." Then select a location on your computer where you want to save the show to. Then select "save". The show will begin downloading (make sure to save it as an MP3 file). The show will then be saved as a file on your computer. You can then listen to it whenever you want to by going to the location on your computer where you saved it as a file.

"In a sea of distractions from the central message of Christianity, Chris Arnzen brings insight, joy, and biblical wisdom to bear on issues of interest to us all. Beyond informing, it will transform your thinking with the renewing power of God's Word."---Dr. Michael Horton, Professor, Westminster Seminary California and host of "The White Horse Inn" radio broadcast

“It was my pleasure to be a guest on the IRON SHARPENS IRON program. I found the host and panel well-prepared to discuss the subject of the holiness of God. Christian radio has been an important part of Ligonier’s growth and so we are always encouraged to see local programs faithful in their sphere of influence. The church needs a new reformation if it is going to impact the culture. Local radio is an important front in that effort.” -- Chris Larson, Executive Vice President, Ligonier Ministries

"Chris Arnzen is not afraid to deal with difficult issues or ask the hard questions. I appreciate the straightforward way IRON SHARPENS IRON tackles vital topics. It's refreshing to hear a radio broadcast regularly deal with truly important, rather than trivial, matters."--- Dr. John MacArthur, author, pastor, radio Bible teacher

"If the rest of Christian radio would try to do what Chris Arnzen is doing with IRON SHARPENS IRON the body of Christ would be blessed and edified. As it stands, IRON SHARPENS IRON is unique."--- Dr. James R. White, Alpha & Omega Ministries

"I enjoyed greatly my appearance on IRON SHARPENS IRON. Chris is a good interviewer. He's willing to tackle difficult subjects and controversies, and does so in a thoughtful and biblically-informed way. Keep listening!"--- Kim Riddlebarger, cohost of "The White Horse Inn", senior pastor of Christ Reformed Church (URCNA), Anaheim, CA

"IRON SHARPENS IRON is an invigorating and refreshing change of pace from what fills the airways of Christian broadcasting. This is a show where truth matters and God is still Sovereign. These attributes are to be greatly appreciated, the host is to be applauded and the show highly recommended!"---Ken Jones, Cohost of The White Horse Inn, Pastor of Greater Union Baptist Church, Compton, CA

"I greatly enjoyed the stimulating discussion with Chris Arnzen on Iron Sharpens Iron. The show is blunt and sharp at the same time, and listeners are always edified and challenged. I know you will appreciate the directness of the questions and the range of subjects addressed."--- Ravi Zacharias, author, apologist, conference speaker

"I greatly enjoyed my interview time. The host prepared carefully, and that added to its value."--- Dr. Jay Adams, author & biblical counselor"

Chris Arnzen provides a packed hour of serious radio on Iron Sharpens Iron with meaty biblical and theological discussion and this is a rarity in today's world. Listen in. Stretch your mind. Learn the truth."---Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III, Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, President

"Chris Arnzen is a bold Christian who stands up for Christ and is not afraid to take on controversial issues. I found him to be a sharply intuitive and informed host who kept the conversation animated, fast-paced, and interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with him... Thank you Chris!"---Carole Whang Schutter, Author & Screenplay Writer of "September Dawn" starring Academy Award winning actor Jon Voight

"IRON SHARPENS IRON is one of the most bold and informative programs on Christian radio. The discussions are refreshingly candid and reliably profitable, and Chris Arnzen is a superb interviewer with sound biblical instincts and a knack for asking the right questions. It¡s always an hour well spent."--- Phil Johnson, Executive Director of Grace To You, the Christian tape & radio ministry of Dr. John MacArthur

"Chris Arnzen combines the depth of a well studied theologian and the lucid insights of an experienced journalist on his new radio program, IRON SHARPENS IRON. This is a very refreshing and much needed departure from the standard 22 minutes of preprogrammed info-sermons that usually is heard on most Christian radio stations. We can only hope that this is a taste of the future of Christian radio."--- Steve Camp, apologist and award winning Christian recording artist

“Chris Arnzen is providing a great service to the church in the twenty-first century. IRON SHARPENS IRON delivers precisely what it promises—it is edifying, encouraging, and challenging. I hope the Lord continues to bless the program and that Christians throughout the world continue to be thoroughly equipped for every good work by the truth of God’s Word through this vital ministry—all for the glory of God.”—Rev. Burk Parsons, Associate Pastor with Dr. R.C. Sproul, Saint Andrew’s Chapel, Sanford, Florida, and Editor of "Tabletalk magazine"

"Chris Arnzen is a well-informed host who does his homework and asks the kinds of questions that an interviewee wants to answer, and an audience wants to hear. Lively, collegial conversation and probing questions opened up opportunities for some really valuable exchanges of information and insights."--- Latayne C. Scott, author of The Mormon Mirage

"IRON SHARPENS IRON is an exciting new Christian radio program that every believer should tune in. The program has informative and challenging interviews with some of evangelicalism's most capable theologians, apologists, and teachers. If you are looking for an entertaining, educational, and dynamic radio show, you can't afford to miss this program."--- Ken Samples, author, former co-host of The Bible Answer Man

"Those who turn to talk radio for substantive treatment of timely and timeless issues too frequently find a vast buffet of intellectual junk food; the experience is `as when an hungry man dreameth, and behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty...' (Isaiah 29:8). Chris Arnzen's program IRON SHARPENS IRON is a blessed exception, offering red-meat discussions of the most critical issues of time and eternity in a very palatable way."--- William Norman Grigg, Editor-at-large, The Right Source

"It was a distinct honor and privilege to be on Chris Arnzen's IRON SHARPENS IRON radio broadcast. I have always found Chris to be affable, articulate, and engaging. He knows what he believes (more properly stated, he knows in Whom he believes) and is crisp and clear in his stand for truth. He has a great radio voice and personality, but more important than that, Chris has a great heart for God and the kingdom of righteousness. I believe that those who tune him in will not tune him out because he is in tune with a higher power than even the radio airwaves."--- Victor Knowles, author of Heavenly Hosts: A Panoramic Study of Angels and The Biblical Roots of Islam

"I would like to highly recommend to the Christian community a new radio program called IRON SHARPENS IRON. One of the great needs in the contemporary Christian community is some meaty discussions on theological issues. The Scripture places great value upon the necessity of sound doctrine. Many people desperately need to understand how the Bible applies to all of life. The programs that I have heard and participated in are very timely and helpful. Keep up the good work, Chris Arnzen!"--- Rev. John M. Otis, author of Danger in the Camp

"Chris Arnzen's IRON SHARPENS IRON is real Christianity. That is another way of saying he bravely tackles the hard questions of life from a Christian perspective with integrity and honesty. We need more Chris Arnzens in the media."--- Dr. Frank A. James III, President & Professor of Historical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, FL

"The IRON SHARPENS IRON radio program by Chris Arnzen truly generates intelligent and animated discussions to sharpen believers and give the Gospel of grace to all. The soul-destroying lies of apostasy are demolished forcefully yet graciously. In the face of subjective irrational speculations of the present day IRON SHARPENS IRON presents the objective, rational, consistent, and all powerful truth of the written Word of God."--- Richard Bennett, former Catholic priest, Founder of Berean Beacon

"IRON SHARPENS IRON is a welcome addition to the Talk Show genre. There are enough conservative talk shows that deal with politics. Chris Arnzen routinely deals with issues far more important than politics. People would do well to listen regularly to IRON SHARPENS IRON. No one does a better job than Chris Arnzen."--- David Dykstra, author of Yearning to Breathe Free: Thoughts on Immigration, Islam & Freedom